Diutin
Diutin (from Latin diutinus, "lasting") can refer to one of the many different altered humans from many eras. They were created with the intent of allowing humans to live in bodies unburdened by the threat of death. Very few diutins were asked before they went through the process of diutinization: the transplanting of a human soul from the human body to the diutin body. Diutins have existed since the late 1500s. As they have all been created by independent scientists, there is no "standard" diutin. However, many common types have emerged over the years. Early Diutins Any diutin type created up until the year 1750 is categorized as an early diutin. Individuals of the below types may still have been created after 1750 and be categorized as an early diutin, so long as their "species" was invented prior to 1750. Common features of these early diutins include haphazard appearance (although they are frequently sturdier than they look) and strong magical aptitude. Because of the experimental nature of these diutins, they were almost solely created as experiments. Subjects for experimentation were the poor and unfortunate, those who wouldn't be noticed when they went missing. Almost no early diutins were created of rich patrons, and Golems Golems are diutins crafted entirely from inanimate objects and are bound into a body by magic. They are the simplest form of diutin to make, but offer the least flexibility in terms of body. They are typically very strong and can survive so long as their "heart"- a magical symbol drawn on their body that the soul is directly tied to- remains intact. Despite their strength, golems suffer in mobility. In fact, many golems were created with the sole intent of preserving the soul, not allowing the soul to interact with the world. Therefore, it is not uncommon to find a golem that is entirely incapable of motion, stuck in one location for eternity. The only way for these golems to move is through magic. While magic binds golem bodies together and gives them the capacity to walk around, their bodies are not suited to channeling it for things like levitation. The one exception to this is a golem whose body has been created from a book. For unknown reasons, souls transplanted into books have an unnaturally high magical aptitude. Chimeras Chimeras are the most common form of early diutin. Their bodies are crafted by combining multiple other organisms, often through stitching the parts together. As time has gone by, they have earned the alternate nickname of "Frankensteins" due to their patchwork appearance. While the majority of chimeras are ugly amalgamations of other beings, some chimeras were created with artistic flair and look like surreal fantasy creatures. Due to the sheer variety in chimeras, there is no way to accurately sum up their mobility or strength. Many are extremely mobile, others are almost incapable of walking. However, their magical ability is only slightly better than humans, since their bodies are mostly just modified- "improved"- humans. While the majority of chimeras are human-based, not all chimeras are. Many chimeras are created from only animals. Still others are crafted from fusing objects, such as those used in golems, with organic matter. Anima Animas are extracted human souls that, rather than being placed into a diutin body, were simply fortified so that they could persist for eternity without a corporeal body. Without a true physical form, they have nothing holding their magical abilities back. However, they are also very physically weak and cannot truly interact with the world without using magic. The extraction of a soul without transplanting it into another body is perhaps the least traumatic way of creating a diutin. Therefore, animas seem to remember more of their original lives than other types of diutins upon creation. Mid Diutins Mid diutins began to emerge as technology was improved to the point it was possible to create humanoid machines. Diutins are defined as "mid diutins" if they were originally created from 1751-1900. All new mid diutins were mechanical in nature, but early diutins were still being improved upon. Categories of early diutins created during this era tend to have more polished appearances and be more durable. Automaton Automatons are a category of more basic mechanical diutins. Their range of motion is severely limited relative to humans, but their bodies are more solidly constructed than any early diutin and they rely far less on magic. They differ from androids in that their bodies are not as mobile or versatile as humans. Additionally, not all automatons were built to resemble humans. Their magical abilities are roughly equal to those of humans, far below the abilities of early diutins. However, their physical strength is very high. Android Androids began appearing in the 1850s. Due to the vast success of automatons, the demand for better mechanical diutins became overwhelming and the science regarding the creation of them advanced rapidly. This resulted in androids: perfect mechanical reconstructions of human bodies. In fact, androids are often glamorizations of humanity. They are more beautiful, stronger, more agile, and seemingly superior in every way, except for magic. Androids are unable to use magic. To counteract this, their bodies have been fitted with weapons, such as lasers, guns, and spinning sawblades. Late Diutins Late diutins are any diutins created from 1901 to present. Many laws regarding human experimentation were created in this era. Therefore, late diutins tended to be created more humanely. Many late diutins did not utilize "donor souls" and were instead genetically modified humans. Others in this category were genetically-crafted shells for human souls to be transferred into. Of course, previous forms of diutins, especially androids, continued to be developed. Around the 1990s, diutins finally became stable enough that they could be sold commercially. Once immortality hit the markets, common folk were undergoing diutinization voluntarily. Corpora Corporas are bodies created for human souls to be transferred into. However, for whatever reason, the soul was never transferred and the bodies eventually gained minds of their own. They are not technically diutins, and they have not been largely researched, but are still related to the creation of late diutins and are unique to this era. Mods Mods, short for "genetically modified" refer to diutins created as genetically-enhanced humans. They are very similar to androids in that they were created to be humans but superior in every aspect. However, they lack the unique tools and weaponry of androids and instead have stronger magical ability. Some mods actually bear a strong resemblance to chimeras, but are assembled far more neatly, as some mods were fusions of the genetic material of different creatures. Some mods have animalistic features, but this is largely up to the individual creators or their clients.